Featured Stories “The Odd Couple” “Two and a Half Men” “The Jack and Triumph Show”
Profiled athlete
Bubba Watson
CELEBRITY SPOTLIGHTS
Robin Tunney Sam Elliott Michael McKean Robin Lord Taylor Rocco DiSpirito
WHAT'S FOR DINNER Paul Hebert
JAY Bobbin's movies to watch
And so much more!
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The story
‘SNL’ throws 40th
anniversary bash Former cast regular Seth Meyers returns for the “Saturday Night Live: SNL 40th Anniversary Special” Sunday on NBC.
folio Courtesy of Gracenote February 15 - 21, 2015
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CONTENTS
What’s Hot This Week Click to jump to these featured sections!
Featured Stories “Saturday Night Live: SNL 40th Anniversary Special” p3
SIX
Celebrity potlights Robin Tunney
“The Jack and Triumph Show”
p4
Sam Elliott
p 11
p5
“The Odd Couple”
Michael McKean
pp 12-13
p6
“Two and a Half Men”
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Paul Hebert
p7
pp 14-15
Profiled Athlete Bubba Watson pp 16-17
Pictured: A fabulous vintage shot of Matthew Perry!
Robin Lord Taylor p8
Rocco DiSpirito p9
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STORY
Editor's choice
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40 years old and counting:
‘Saturday Night Live’ marks a milestone By Jay Bobbin
Seth Meyers is ready for a big party that the whole country also can attend.
SethMeyers
Actually, “Saturday Night Live” has been celebrating its 40th anniversary since the late-night staple’s season began last September on NBC. The network will televise the official bash as a live, three-hour special Sunday, Feb. 15 – with many cast members from the past four decades expected to return, and classic sketches spanning performers from John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman to Chris Rock, David Spade, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Will Ferrell and current “Tonight Show” star Jimmy Fallon. Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Paul Simon and Kanye West are slated to provide music. Also on hand will be such past “SNL” guest hosts as Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Robert De Niro, Jim Carrey, Melissa McCarthy and Betty White. The host of the weeknight “Late Night With Seth Meyers” spent 13 seasons in the “SNL” ensemble of players, nine of them also as the show’s head writer, and eight as an anchor of the “Weekend Update” segment. He reflects, “I keep saying to Lorne (Michaels, executive producer of both shows), ‘I worry that when it’s the one-year anniversary of ”Late Night“ (which comes up Feb. 24), it’s not going to get half the press.”’ “SNL” long has been one of television’s most scrutinized shows each week – for the relevance and effectiveness of its humor – and Meyers reflects, “I think one of the reasons the show has maintained its vitality all these years is that Lorne puts great faith in
his writers. He doesn’t want head writers who rewrite things to make themselves the voice of the show, he wants head writers who celebrate how every writer is different. I think that’s why you can put on a 90-minute sketch show and you know there are things that came from different minds. No one mind could come up with all of that.” Meyers looks back fondly on his “SNL” tenure in large part for its “incredible influx of talent, Andy (Samberg) and Jason (Sudeikis) and Bill (Hader) and Kristin (Wiig). At that time, people like Kenan (Thompson) and Fred (Armisen, now Meyers’ bandleader on his weeknight show) and Will (Forte) hadn’t been around that long, either. “It was such an exciting time to be on the show, because we had a really small cast and really small writing staff,” adds Meyers. “Because of that, we got to make all our mistakes on the show and on the air, and I think you learn so much more from those mistakes than from not getting to produce your work.” While he’s looking forward to the big reunion that the “SNL” 40th anniversary event will be, Meyers notes, “I would think at this point, there are very few (former cast members) left that I haven’t crossed paths with to some degree. Lorne kind of figured out how he wanted the show to work from about the sixth week, and he’s kept it pretty consistent – so even though you weren’t on it at the same time, in a weird way, you share memories with people.”
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CELEBRITY Jay Bobbin’s Q&A
RobinTunney of ‘The Mentalist’ on CBS What should viewers expect from Wednesday’s (Feb. 18) series finale of “The Mentalist”? I was very worried about how we would be able to tie up the show in a respectful way, and also give the fans something that made their seven years earned. We wanted to give them something very special, and there’s a lot of expectation. There was a lot of darkness on the show with the Red John story line and all, but I think this is going to leave them with an optimistic, great taste in their mouths. While the characters’ futures are still a little ambiguous, it ties it up in a way where there’s a lot of hope – and it’s funny, and it’s romantic, and it’s satiating. There’s nothing more frustrating than staying with something for seven years, only for it to give you an ambiguous ending. It’s sort of like “The Mentalist” doing romantic comedy, and it’s really fun to watch. You’re also renowned in the independentfilm world, but after seven seasons on “The Mentalist” and the year you did on “Prison Break,” would you consider series work again? Absolutely! I can’t say that I’d be signing up right away for something that might last for years, because it’s really exhausting and I think you need to refuel and I certainly don’t have any interest in doing another procedural ... but I love what I do. I love going to work. Television has changed so much, it’s become like the new independent-film world. Something like “Fargo” or “Togetherness” is just amazing, and I would love to do something like that. I’d also love to do more little movies, where you feel like you’re with a merry band of circus folks and you’re pushing a rock up a hill and you’re in it together.
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CELEBRITY Jay Bobbin’s Q&A
SamElliott
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of ‘Justified’ on FX
Were you a fan of “Justified” before you signed up for the show’s current and final season? I watched a number of episodes over the years. I’m not a rabid viewer of anything, I don’t think – but that said, I was totally intrigued by “Justified” from the get-go. I think that (promotional) picture of Tim (Olyphant) on the bus made me want to watch, the gun and the whole thing. It was just so classic in so many ways. Are you a reader of Elmore Leonard, the late author whose work inspired “Justified”? I’ve not read all of his stuff, but I‘ve read some of it, and that’s the thing about this material that we’re doing. It smacks of Elmore and captures him, certainly the characters and what they get involved in. It’s got this incredible rhythm to it. Often, you’ll read it and think, “That sentence. What’s wrong with it?” But I find that the more familiar I become with some oddball piece of dialogue, the more fun it becomes. What has your long run as the hugely recognizable voice on truck commercials meant for you? I’ve been very happy the last few years, and thankful at the same time. That’s the money in the bank, the bread on the table, so to speak. And that gives you great freedom in terms of what you really would like to be doing, which makes it easy to turn some work down. Now, the mustache is gone (for the “Justified” role), so I can just kind of go around ... but if I open my mouth, I’m busted.
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CELEBRITY George Dickie’s Q&A
MichaelMcKean of ‘Better Call Saul’ on AMC You’re a native New Yorker. Did you grow up in Manhattan? I was born in Manhattan. When I was 3, my folks moved out to Long Island, lived in Hicksville for four years – where Billy Joel grew up – and then I moved to Sea Cliff, where I grew up. Your father was a co-founder of Decca Records, correct? He was in that batch. I think he was pretty low level but he was a charter employee. And then he worked for Dictaphone – remember Dictaphone? – and then he worked for Columbia and then he worked for (RCA) Victor, then he was in advertising for a few years and then he went back to Columbia. Worked for Columbia for a while. So a lot of free records. So needless to say, music was a big part of your childhood. Yeah, but you know what? I was a snotty kid like most other kids, and my father’s playing all this brilliant jazz for me and everything, and I went, ‘Yeah Dad, but Elvis Presley.’ So it wasn’t until years later that I really started loving jazz and I always loved classical. I just always thought it was like so complex. It was like watching cricket. It looks like fun but I have no idea what they’re doing. Later, there were classical pieces that I loved. My father was a real wonk, though; a big jazz aficionado. He used to write articles for Downbeat and Esquire. He wrote a famous piece for Esquire, which was a portrait of Django Reinhardt called ‘The Fabulous Gypsy’ and it’s been collected in a lot of anthologies about jazz. He was a good writer.
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FOOD George Dickie’s What's for Dinner
F
PaulHebert A man who loves his ‘Wicked Tuna’
With all the bluefin tuna that passes through the decks of the boats on National Geographic Channel’s “Wicked Tuna,” one has to wonder if anyone has ever been tempted to slice off a hunk from a freshly caught fish and chow down right then and there. “Always,” Paul Hebert, captain of the Kelly Ann, says with an infectious laugh. “When the tuna gets on board, the first thing I do is cut the tail to bleed it right away, and I cut like a two-inch chunk out of there. So I usually go and rinse that off and put it on ice but I’ll take a little bit off of that and eat it. Right away. And I always have soy sauce on the boat. ... Wasabe, soy sauce and ginger.” The series, which returns for its fourth season Sunday, Feb. 15, promises more conflict, bigger fish and drama on the high seas off Gloucester, Mass. Last season, Dave Carraro of the FV-Tuna. com easily bested a field that included Tyler McLaughlin of the Pin Wheel, Dave Marciano of the Hard Merchandise, TJ Ott of the Hot Tuna and Hebert, whose priority is to redeem himself after a disappointing season and make enough to feed his wife and young daughter. As one might expect from a tuna boat captain, Hebert has a slew of tuna recipes. He shares one, for “Tu-nah Pastelle,” here: Extra virgin olive oil Red bell pepper (small, diced) Minced garlic One bunch green onions or scallions (chopped) One bunch chopped cilantro Salt and pepper (pinch of each) Juice of one lime and zest Two bags of albacore white tuna in water or two cans light tuna in oil, drained (mash/fluff/break apart tuna) Egg roll wrappers or wonton Canola oil for frying One beaten egg Paper towels for draining Sauce: Hellmann’s mayonnaise, sriracha sauce (to taste) and the juice of one lime. Mix together and set aside.
Heat olive oil in sautee pan. Sautee red bell pepper, minced garlic and green onions together until softened. Add salt and pepper. Turn down heat to very low and add lime juice, then tuna. Mix and heat through. Remove from heat. Mix in cilantro and lime zest. Let cool slightly. Heat one inch of canola oil with a dash of olive oil to temperature for frying. Assemble pastelle: put approximately one tablespoon of tuna mixture onto wonton wrapper. Brush edges with egg. Fold over and press to seal. Add to oil and fry until golden brown. Remove to drain on paper towels. May be served hot or at room temperature. Serve with sauce for dipping.
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CELEBRITY John Crook's Celebrity ScooP
RobinLordTaylor
Fox’s Monday night hit drama series “Gotham,” recently renewed for a second season, has drawn mixed reactions for its treatment of the Batman origin story. Critics and fans alike agree on one thing, however: Robin Lord Taylor’s turn as Oswald Cobblepot, the young Penguin, is one of the season’s real breakout performances. Taylor, 36, gives much of the credit to series creator Bruno Heller for coming up with a fresh take on this iconic villain – “A lot of it is just there on the page,” he insists – but playing this complex character who is by turns creepy, comic and often heartbreaking requires walking a real tightrope. The actor says Oswald’s “outsider” status instantly resonated with him as he was researching the character’s early appearances in DC Comics. “Oswald definitely is an oddball, and as he was growing up, he was mercilessly bullied and beaten for the way he looks and acts and what his interests are,” Taylor says. “His mother is an immigrant, so that makes them outsiders as well.” “I didn’t participate in the ‘regular’ activities most boys did in my high school,” he explains. “I was a theater and band geek. I was never physically bullied, per se, but I was called names and definitely felt like Oswald felt, like an outsider. And I felt at times that there were people trying to make me feel ‘less than’ because of my differences.” He fell in love with theater doing school plays, where he could change the way other people perceived him, if only for a couple of hours. When he eventually started classes as a theater student at Northwestern University, everything fell into place for him. “Here I was with kids from New York City and Los Angeles who had been performing their entire lives,” Taylor says. “To be able to share the same stage with them, to believe that I was as good as they were and deserved to be there, that was incredible.” All the praise he’s receiving for “Gotham” has been overwhelming, Taylor adds. “To have people respond the way that they have is – I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it,” he says.
Born: June 4, 1978, in Shueyville, Iowa
Family ties: His parents are both
actuaries (“math people,” he clarifies), but his younger sister is an opera singer; one of three older half-sisters, Susan Taylor Chehak, is a novelist.
Friends list: Taylor’s best pal and
frequent partner in comedy is Billy Eichner (“Parks and Recreation”). Dream role: Shakespeare’s “Richard III”
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CELEBRITY Celebrities profiled
R o c c oD i Sp i r i to
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-an award winning chef and author
• He graduated from Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park in 1986 and received a bachelor’s degree in business from Boston University in 1990. • He has written highly-acclaimed cookbooks, including back-to-back No. 1 New York Times best-sellers “Now Eat This!” and “Now Eat This! Diet.” • Rocco hosted “Food Talk,” a morning talk show on New York Radio WOR (AM), from October 2004 through December 2005. • He also hosted 12 episodes of the TV show “Rocco Gets Real” on A&E Network. • Rocco was a guest judge on Bravo’s “Top Chef.” • He was a contestant on season seven of “Dancing With the Stars,” and placed ninth overall. • He is a James Beard Award winner for his book “Flavor.” • He hosts the Food Network reality show “Restaurant Divided,” in which he goes to struggling restaurants where the owners have two differing visions. He then picks which concept will save the restaurant. • 1999: He was named America’s Best New Chef by Food and Wine Magazine. • 2000: Named Most Exciting Young Chef by Gourmet Magazine. • 2000, 2001, and 2003: Named Best Chef: New York City by the James Beard Foundation. • 2002: Named Sexiest Chef Alive by People Magazine. • 2011: He debuted as host of a weekly reality TV cooking competition, titled “Rocco’s Dinner Party” on Bravo.
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CELEBRITY Celebs’ favorite shows
Megan Boone
Tom Colicchio
Michael McKean
Lucy Biggers
Set the DVR
Megan Boone of “The Blacklist” on NBC “I usually record sitcoms. I really like ‘New Girl’ and ‘The Mindy Project’ ... and I was recording ‘A to Z,’ because my friend Henry Zebrowski was in it. He and I went to college together; we were in a sketch-comedy group there, and we’ve remained good friends. I try to catch what I can, but I have to say I don’t have a ton of time to watch TV.” Tom Colicchio of “Best New Restaurant” on Food Network “A bunch of stuff, mostly what my kids watch. A have a 3year-old and a 5-year-old, so there’s mostly cartoons on (my DVR).” Michael McKean of “Better Call Saul” on AMC “I record the Turner Classic Movies that are on in the middle of the night, that I can’t see, that I can’t wait up
for. ‘Law & Order: SVU,’ I watch that show religiously. ‘Jeopardy,’ I am myself a ‘Jeopardy’ champion as you may know. ... We record the old ‘Pyramid’ shows because the wife (actress Annette O’Toole) and I play them. She stands next to the TV where she can’t see it and I give the clues and I take the sound down and we play like that. We’ve been watching a lot of stuff on Netflix and Hulu like this ‘Black Mirror’ show. Pretty amazing show. A show called ‘Happy Valley,’ really a British show. And ‘Last Tango in Halifax,’ by the same creator of that show. We like plucking things out of obscurity, too.” Lucy Biggers of “Breaking Greenville” on truTV “I really love ‘Last Week Tonight With John Oliver’ and all of Netflix’s original series ... ‘House of Cards’ and all that. I’m a binge-watcher. I’ll watch TV for two days, then I won’t watch it again for the rest of the week. I’m a stereotype!”
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STORY
Insult comedy gets new life
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on ‘The Jack and Triumph Show’ By George Dickie
Picture Don Rickles as a bowtied puppet Rottweiler with a cigar dangling from his his mouth and you have a handle on the co-star of the new comedy series “The Jack and Triumph Show.” The series, which premieres Friday, Feb. 20, as part of the Adult Swim programming block on Cartoon Network, stars Jack McBrayer (“30 Rock”) as Jack, a former child star of a “Lassie”-type series that ran in the 1980s and ‘90s. After the series was canceled, his canine co-star Triumph spiraled downward into trouble and brought Jack along with him. Now 15 years later, Jack has gotten away from show business and cleaned up his life. Then Triumph shows up on his doorstep. The series is shot in multi-camera format, offering a mix of scripted scenes and remotes like those the character did on shows ranging from “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” to the Westminster Dog Show. At a recent gathering of TV critics in Pasadena, Calif., series creator and writer Robert Smigel (“Saturday Night Live,” “Conan”) as Triumph broke up the crowd at a post-lunch Q&A session with a slew of often profane jokes directed at the audience, proving that insult comedy is still indeed alive. “People kind of make an assumption that Triumph just rushes up to people in these remotes and assaults them,” Smigel explains. “I actually always ask people in advance before we put the camera in their face, ‘Do you guys mind if we hurt your feelings?’ ” “It’s just something I’ve never wanted to be, like, an assault comedian,” he continues. “I didn’t start that way. I wrote sketches for a zillion years, and this is just a character that came up, you know, 15 years into my career, or 12 years, and just evolved and became bigger than, you know, the rest of my career pretty much. ... But I don’t take pleasure in hitting people who don’t want to be hit.”
Jack McBrayer (left) and Robert Smigel
Of course, filming scenes with a hand puppet can be challenging, given some of the awkward positions Smigel and McBrayer are required to put themselves in. “I don’t know exactly how that show ‘Alf’ ... technically did it,” McBrayer says, “but I imagine we’re doing some of those same things. Like sometimes Robert is, like, hiding behind a table, and so I’m sitting, straddling this 50-some-year-old man and going, ‘Triumph, you ate all the cake.’ ” “A variety of unnatural positions,” Smigel adds. “And anybody should know that for all the abuse I’m unleashing on people, I’m placing a lot of it on myself by degrading myself.”
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STORY
‘The Odd Couple’
REVISITED
Don’t miss CBS’ new version of “The Odd Couple,” Story on next page premiering Thursday.
MatthewPerry Page 12 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 15 - 21, 2015
ThomasLennon
STORY
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Matthew a new friend in a Perry gets new ‘Odd Couple’ By Jay Bobbin
Felix and Oscar are together again. Anyone who knows that combination of names must be familiar with the stage, screen, and/or earlier television versions of “The Odd Couple,” Neil Simon’s comedy about hugely dissimilar college roommates who end up sharing quarters again years later. The premise gets a fresh workout when Matthew Perry (“Friends”) and Thomas Lennon (“Reno 911!”) assume the roles in CBS’ new variation premiering Thursday, Feb. 19. Garry Marshall, who executive-produced ABC’s 1970s “Odd Couple” show, is an executive consultant on the new take. “When I was doing it,” he recalls, “the network was so afraid that the audience would think there was two gay characters. Every week, they said, ‘Put more girls in. Put more girls in.’ So on purpose, (with) Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, I used to shoot little moments where they hugged and kissed and sent it to the network just to make them crazy. Now they deal with it. They talk about it. It’s a much, much more modern show.” Though his Chandler Bing of “Friends” might make Perry seem ideal as the prissy Felix Unger, he’s the slovenly Oscar Madison instead. “In real life, I’m much more of an Oscar,” he maintains. “I mean, it’s big shoes to fill, but we’re doing our own thing and playing it differently. I do a slight Walter Matthau
impression in the pilot, but I think the funniest joke in the pilot was from the original source material, that was in the play.” Lennon admits he “thought long and hard” about whether the revival “was even attemptable, because Tony Randall is a major hero of mine, and I was worried that I might be doing an impression of Tony Randall or something. But then, when I remembered that he was really the third Felix Unger and I might be something like about the fifth, I felt like maybe there was something new to bring to it.” Lindsay Sloane (“Horrible Bosses”) and recurring cast member Leslie Bibb play contemporary versions of the Pigeon sisters, Felix and Oscar’s new romantic interests. Wendell Pierce (“The Wire”) and Yvette Nicole Brown (“Community”) also are featured in the show, on which Perry has an executive-producer credit as well. “It’s really weird how this whole thing started,” Perry reflects. “I had a cast in mind, a network in mind, and then found out that it was actually being developed at CBS. I thought it would be a good idea, and I thought it would be a good time to do ‘The Odd Couple’ again. I wanted it to be on CBS because they are able to launch shows better than any other network, and it all just sort of magically came true.”
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STORY
An ending times ‘Two and a Half’ Ashton Kutcher (left) and Jon Cryer star in the series finale of “Two and a Half Men” Thursday on CBS. Story on next page
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STORY
‘Two and a Half Men’
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bids
farewell By Jay Bobbin
The end is here for those “men, men, men, men, manly men.” The success of “Two and a Half Men” speaks for itself, given the CBS sitcom’s 12 seasons and its sustained popularity after a major retooling in 2011, when Ashton Kutcher’s Walden replaced founding cast member Charlie Sheen’s Charlie. And along the way, Jon Cryer earned two Emmys for the show as Alan ... so a lot of television history will be bound up in the hour-long series wrap-up Thursday, Feb. 19, also featuring Conchata Ferrell’s last stand as sassy housekeeper Berta. “I think we’re going to have a finale that you’ll be very, very pleased with,” says executive producer and co-creator Chuck Lorre, who’s been doing his best to keep the details of it under wraps. He adds “it would be inappropriate here to not acknowledge the extraordinary success we had with Charlie and how grateful I am – and we all are – to his contribution, and there’s nothing but good feelings for the eightand-a-half years we worked together. “But how to wrap the show up, it’s tricky,” adds Lorre, “it’s a sticky wicket. In a way, the show morphed into something else entirely for the last four years, and it’s something we love, and we want to honor both. So, how to honor both has been the challenge of this finale. And the other challenge is how to get people watching it without telling them what it is. ” Cryer maintains he has no clue to “Two and a Half Men’s” staying power. “I actually have spent some time with the writers this year,” he reports, “and it’s been really fun. I will try to figure out how Chuck is going to
react to whatever they’re presenting, and I’m almost never right, so I don’t know exactly what it is. Early on, they discovered it was funny for me to be naked, and that has carried us all quite a ways, apparently.” Kutcher reasons, however, that Lorre’s shows work because they involve “families that are just like yours. And I think that Chuck works with people that understand that that works, and that’s extraordinarily relatable. Even if it’s two straight guys acting like gay guys so they can adopt a kid (the final-season premise of ‘Two and a Half Men’), that’s a family. It’s all built around really broken, messed-up families ... and if you have one, you know what one’s like, and you can really relate to it and it’s fun to laugh at. Because, ultimately, you sit at home and you laugh at yourself.” Destined to continue being seen in widely syndicated repeats, “Two and a Half Men” began a CBS comedy empire for Chuck Lorre Productions that now also encompasses “The Big Bang Theory,” “Mike & Molly” and “Mom.” Lorre acknowledges that “it all started with ‘Two and a Half Men,’ and I just wanted to state for the record that this doesn’t happen – none of this happens – had that show not been such a phenomenal success.”
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SPORTS
Story on next page
Full name: Gerry Lester Watson Jr. Born: Nov. 5, 1978 (age 36) Hometown: Bagdad, Fla. Height/weight: 6 feet 3 inches/ 180 pounds Turned pro: 2003 First PGA Tour win: 2010 Travelers Championship
Total wins: nine, including seven PGA Tour wins Majors won: 2012 and 2014 Masters Other notable finishes: tied for fifth at the 2007 U.S. Open; second at the 2010 PGA Championship; a member of the winning U.S. team at the 2011 Presidents Cup
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SPORTS
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By Dan Ladd When Bubba Watson defends his 2014 Northern Trust Open title this week, there’s likely to be more talk about Tiger Woods’ tooth than the seven-time PGA Tour and two-time major champion’s accomplishments. This leg of the 201415 Tour once again makes a midFebruary stop at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., where last year Watson came in 15 under par to post a two-stroke victory over Dustin Johnson. This year’s event airs Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 19-22, on the Golf Channel and CBS. Lately, Watson has been making headlines of his own off the course. A true baseball fan, he recently became part owner of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, a AA minor league affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds headquartered just 20 miles from Watson’s hometown of Bagdad, Fla. Golf fans, however, should have no worries about Watson switching sports. Beyond the Northern Trust Open, he will defend his 2014 Masters win in less than two months. Watson, one of a few left-handed golfers on the Tour, remains in the top five of the Official World Golf Rankings thus far this season. He is still known for his long drives, averaging well over 300 yards (and, at times, 350), which makes him a spectator magnet. But PGA wins are tough to come by. Still, three of Watson’s seven since joining the Tour in 2006 came in 2014, which included a current Tour win in November at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in China. He’s swinging the hot club.
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MOVIES JAY BOBBIN's Theatrical movie review
review
‘Paddington’ bears down on the big screen
When a movie takes an iconic character such as Paddington Bear and uses modern technology to make him “real,” you can only hope the picture gets it right. The really good news about “Paddington” is how much it does, indeed, get right. The result is fun entertainment for all ages, to the degree that additional screen adventures for the bear would be most welcome. Computer-generated imagery gives life to Paddington, who has the voice of Ben Whishaw (the new “Q” in the James Bond movies), and whose idyllic life with relatives in a Peruvian rainforest is wrecked by an earthquake. In immediate need of a new home, he heads for London, where his arrival at Paddington Station gives him a new name – and a new home, thanks to a family headed by Hugh Bonneville (“Downton Abbey”) and Sally Hawkins.
Even if very young viewers have a moment or two of trouble with the story’s elements of peril, “Paddington” generally is a very good-natured affair with a spirit that captures the feel of the Michael Bond books quite nicely. That’s much to the credit of writer-director Paul King, whose affection for the source material is happily evident. The look of Paddington is no minor aspect of the film’s success, either. It can be tricky to translate the classic look of a character to present-day animation techniques, but the wizards who worked on the movie have managed to strike just the right appearance, giving a nod to the classic Paddington image while also serving the needs of contemporary audiences. Whishaw’s vocals also turn out to be perfect for Paddington. Colin Firth originally had the part, but given the age and relative life inexperience of the bear, the younger sound of Whishaw proves the right way to go.
For those who think everything will be sunny from there, think again ... thanks primarily to Nicole Kidman, “Paddington” is a fun treat for family viewing this early clearly having a grand time as a taxidermist who has in the movie year – and should additional chapters be her eye set on the rarity Paddington represents. in the offing, audiences likely would bear them quite well. Page 18 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 15 - 21, 2015
MOVIES JAY BOBBIN's movie review movies to watch
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“DUMB AND DUMBER TO” Two decades later, the not particularly bright Lloyd and Harry – played again by Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels – reunite, as do the actors with writer-directors Bobby and Peter Farrelly – in this sequel that suggests the stars wore the roles better 20 years earlier. The fellows set out to locate the daughter Harry didn’t know he had, since he needs a kidney from her ... but that serious undercurrent doesn’t stop the duo from generating their trademark mayhem. Laurie Holden (“The Walking Dead”), Kathleen Turner and Rob Riggle also are in the cast. ›› (PG-13: AS, N, P) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)
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Coming Soon on DVD...
Jason Bateman
“HORRIBLE BOSSES 2” (Feb. 24): When the oppressed pals’ (Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis) idea for a new innovation is stolen, they seek revenge. (R: AS, P) “BIG HERO 6” (Feb. 24): An Oscar nominee for best animated feature, this Disney treat works in the theme of modern technology to a big degree; voices include Damon Wayans Jr. and Maya Rudolph. (PG: AS, P) “THE ITALIAN AMERICANS” (Feb. 24): The PBS miniseries includes interviews with Tony Bennett and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, among many others. (Not rated) “SONS OF ANARCHY: SEASON SEVEN” (Feb. 24): The saga concludes as Jax (Charlie Hunnam) realizes how close to home the source of a personal tragedy is – and weighs his need for vengeance. (Not rated: AS, N, P, V) “WHIPLASH” (Feb. 24): The Oscar nominee for best picture examines the relationship between a music student (Miles Teller) and a relentlessly demanding professor (J.K. Simmons). (R: AS, P) “THE CAPTIVE” (March 3): Eight years after a young girl vanished, new clues surface in director Atom Egoyan’s melodrama; Ryan Reynolds, Scott Speedman and Rosario Dawson star. (R: AS, P)
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FAVORITE SHOWS
Tom Bergeron hosts “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
Wendi McLendonCovey hosts “Repeat After Me”
SUNDAY 7 p.m. on ABC America’s Funniest Home Videos The series’ “25th Anniversary Celebration” is a big event, but viewers still can expect the trademark humor. Host Tom Bergeron — who’s nearing the end of his run on the show, by his own choice — revisits classic clips and welcomes celebrity guests including Anthony Anderson (“blackish”) and Cristela Alonzo (“Cristela”) to help mark the milestone. For any and all congratulations, though, appealing animals and cute kids remain elements of the hour. New 7 p.m. on TRAVEL 101 Sand n’ Surf Hotspots Airing as part of Travel Channel’s “Beach Week” event, this five-part series, which continues through
Debra Messing stars in “The Mysteries of Laura”
Wednesday, features a countdown of 101 dream vacation destinations. The premiere covers a diverse and eclectic combination of the edible (Coney Island hot dogs in New York) to the incredible (the sea caves of Cyprus, as well as monasteries from the same region). Another new episode immediately follows. Series Premiere New MONDAY 8 p.m. on NBC The Celebrity Apprentice Only one person per season doesn’t hear the dreaded phrase, “You’re fired” — and that individual will be named by Donald Trump in “Live Finale: A New Celebrity Apprentice Is Crowned,” indeed presented live in the Eastern half of the country. Six of
Page 20 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 15 - 21, 2015
Donald Trump hosts “The Celebrity Apprentice”
the contenders eliminated previously return to help the two finalists with the last challenge, which involves making an ad and selling vacation packages. The victor’s chosen charity will receive $250,000. Season Finale New TUESDAY 8:30 p.m. on ABC Repeat After Me A segment of Ellen DeGeneres’ weekday talk show becomes its own program with the premiere of this series, a sort of “Candid Camera” in which celebrities are instructed via earpiece what to say to people they encounter ... thus, the “repeat after me” angle. Wendi McLendon-Covey (“The Goldbergs”) is the host, and the first celebrities put to the test here are Ellen Pompeo (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Taye continued on next page
FAVORITE SHOWS Diggs (“Murder in the First”) and Harry Connick Jr. Series Premiere New 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) The Italian Americans The title succinctly describes the subject of this new documentary, narrated by Stanley Tucci and concluding next Tuesday. The first hour, “La Famiglia (1890-1910),” focuses on Italians’ moves into urban centers of America. Then, “Becoming Americans (1910-1930)” considers their further assimilation — and stereotypes generated during that period. Tony Bennett, author Gay Talese and “The Sopranos” creator-producer David Chase supply comments. Series Premiere New
FRIDAY 8 p.m. on FOX World’s Funniest Fails Many people believe they have the ability to entertain ... and some end up doing so in ways they didn’t intend, particularly in the world of videos that go viral. Such segments are showcased in the new episode “Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! Gotta Fail!,” as host Terry Crews presents examples of wayward “talent.” The one judged to miss the mark most epically will be deemed the show’s Fail of the Week. New
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SATURDAY 9 p.m. on BBC The Musketeers In the new episode “Through a Class Darkly,” the Musketeers escort the royal family as they accept an invitation from a renowned astronomer to watch a solar eclipse from his impressive observatory. None of them anticipates the shocking twist of fate that awaits them, leaving the Musketeers puzzling over the true identity — and endgame — of the astronomer. The Musketeers realize their best ally may be the highly untrustworthy Milady (Maimie McCoy). New
WEDNESDAY 8 p.m. on NBC The Mysteries of Laura Laura’s (Debra Messing) latest murder investigation takes her into a female escort operation in the new episode “The Mystery of the Alluring Au Pair.” She has other concerns both personal and professional, since she and Jake (Josh Lucas) come under the scrutiny of a detective (new cast member Meg Steedle) assigned specifically to look into their dealings with each other. Laz Alonso and Max Jenkins also star. New THURSDAY 9 p.m. on CW Reign Guest star Amy Brenneman (“The Leftovers”) reprises the role of Mary’s (Adelaide Kane) mother, who tries to warn Mary about a threat to her reign, in the new episode “Forbidden.” Mary then tries to strike an accord with Conde (Sean Teale) to protect her power base. Her encounter with Francis (Toby Regbo) ultimately steers him toward Lola (Anna Popplewell). Megan Follows, Rose Williams, Caitlin Stasey and Celina Sinden also star New
Rose Williams stars in “Reign”
Terry Crews hosts “World’s Funniest Fails”
Maimie McCoy stars in “The Musketeers”
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